Candles
by BrownSage
Summary: When you lose the chance to gain everything, you'd to anything to get it back. An AU fiction that takes place at a high school. Love and jealousy flare, and it may be too late to get a second chance... Leon x Cloud, Riku x Sora.
1. Chapter I

_Candles_

By: Brown Sage

**Disclaimer**: Kingdom Hearts and all its characters belong to Square and Disney, and I have no ownership over them at all. This story was merely for entertainment, and I am making no profit off it whatsoever.

**Warnings**: Yaoi (boy/boy pairings) in later chapters. Don't like? Don't read!

**Pairings**: Leon/Cloud, Riku/Sora?

* * *

"Squall! Wait up!"

Squall Leonhart paused, seemingly suspended in time for a brief moment. The command came from behind him, but there was no need to turn around to see who had given voice to it.

"Jeez… where's the fire?"

Cloud Strife stood beside him, slightly out of breath from the effort of pushing his way through the crowds that made up a normal high school. The teen's blond hair was ruffled and in a state of blatant disarray, though Cloud's hair always looked… unique, so it was hardly noticeable.

"Study Hall is starting." Squall told him. "And it's _Leon_."

"Fine, whatever…" Cloud sighed. "Though why exactly changing your name makes you better equipped to graduate, I can't possibly fathom, but-"

"Strife?" Leon turned to the blond.

"Huh?"

"Shut up."

With that Leon strode into the classroom, leaving Cloud behind. Cloud blinked in surprise at the other boy's frankness, and then shook his head. He followed Leon into the classroom, flopping down in his usual seat.

The teacher looked up at the class with an uncaring eye, taking down attendance as the final latecomers trickled in. The bell rang, signaling the start of class, and the teacher motioned for a student to shut the door.

"All right, people. Let's try to act like civilized human beings today. Sit down, shut up, or I will personally throw you all in ISS."

Then, heaving a world-weary sigh, the teacher sank back into near invisibility behind his desk. Cloud bent down to rummage through his bookbag, and Leon pulled out his math homework and set to work.

If there was one thing Leon liked, it was math. Simple, logical, and clear cut. With math you could never get more than one answer that was right, which was a definite cloister from a confusing world. In math, the answer could always be found as long as you knew the right equations.

But in life, the equations were always changing places, putting on a charade as the solution to a problem but really being the total opposite. What helped one problem hurt another, and the answers were never really that trustworthy anyway.

Yes, life should revolve around math.

"Ugh." Cloud sighed, rubbing the eraser of his pencil on his temple absentmindedly. "Stupid problems…"

Leon rolled his eyes. Teachers were always telling Cloud he was some kind of intellectual prodigy, but one look at his math grade shut them up. If it wasn't for Leon, Cloud would have failed long ago. But a few late-night homework sessions kept Cloud's grade to a C, however unsteady the estimate might be.

"Shhh." Leon ordered, and Cloud went back to grimacing at the paper wordlessly.

Squall could remember quite vividly the day he had first met Cloud. It was an English project back when he was a freshman, and he had been partnered with the blond. It had actually been kind of fun, for where Cloud slipped in math, he more than made up for in all his other classes.

The blond could take one look at a poem, and not only memorize most of it, but tell you the author's theme and hidden meanings, as well as point out any literary device that was used to convey the point. In History, Cloud was like a walking encyclopedia. The blond could sit and listen to lectures with out scribbling down but the vaguest of notes, be tested on the material three months later, and ace the test. Science posed a bit of a problem, seeing as it went hand in hand with math most of the time, but Cloud was good at long-winded explanations of things that often made him sound more informed than the teacher.

It was pretty obvious that the blond had decided to follow Leon's lead and work on his math homework. Strife had the pained look of someone being tortured, blue eyes filled with an amusing mix of horror and utter confusion.

Leon looked back down to his own work, his mind taking him back to his other prominent memory of Cloud.

It was their first week as sophomores, and Leon was surprised to find that he and Cloud shared nearly all of the same classes. In a way, Leon almost felt happy when Strife fell right back into that easy companionship they had shared as freshmen.

All of that had nearly been shattered when Cloud asked innocently one day,

"What do you think about me?"

"Huh?"

"Ummm… would you ever… you know…"

"Make sense, Strife."

"What would you say if I asked you out on… if… would you ever consider dating me?"

About ten thousand thoughts ran through Leon's head. Cloud couldn't be allowed to get that close! No one should ever be able to come closer than friendly cordiality, and Cloud had already passed that.

"Well… I was going to ask… I was thinking about dating someone else."

At that moment, things were still okay. It was a lie, true, but Cloud would understand and accept the fact as just… the way things were.

But Leon laughed. "Good one, though. You had me going."

Cloud had just about frozen right there. For the next two days, he said scarcely more than two or three words to Leon, and the brunette was seriously beginning to wonder just exactly how bad Cloud had taken it.

But then, Cloud walked over to his lunch table, plopped down, and started chattering away like always. Things should have been settled, or so Leon thought. Maybe the notion had passed from Cloud's mind, but Leon couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if he had said 'yes' two years ago.

What would it be like to know that Cloud was his? What would it be like to kiss him? To be able to pull Cloud into his arms and smell the faint cologne that he used? What would it be like to…?

Leon cut the thought off there, bending hastily back over his work. What had happened happened. It wasn't time for regrets, especially not on his part. He'd broken Cloud's heart in about the cruelest way possible, and he didn't want to dig up those old scars.

The bell rang, and Cloud let out a sigh of relief. Outside, the hallways suddenly exploded with the sounds of a general exodus, students gleefully rejoicing the end of another school day. Leon closed his notebook and textbook, placing them both neatly back in his bookbag. Cloud made a general swipe, gathering everything up and stuffing it back in his bag.

Leon rolled his eyes. Cloud could hide virtually anything in there and no one would find it for lifetimes. He'd seen Cloud, on more than one occasion, dig out mysterious papers and unidentifiable objects that had probably been in there since Cloud had first bought the backpack. One day Leon swore he would get Cloud to clean the thing out, but… at least it was fairly entertaining to watch the blond bury himself while attempting to locate a book.

"You're coming over today to help me study, right?" Cloud asked, slinging his bookbag over his shoulder casually.

"Fine." Leon answered. The math test was scheduled for tomorrow, he remembered. Well, it wasn't like he didn't like going over to Cloud's house after school on occasion.

His mom was nice, but she worked two jobs and was seldom home. Mr. Strife had left Cloud and his mom when Cloud was just a kid, so mother and son shared a very close relationship.

Leon's own parents were so wrapped up in themselves he didn't think they realized that they had a son at all. He never really minded. In his opinion, his parent's absence only gave Leon more of the peace and quiet he loved, and the afternoons he went over to Cloud's chased away whatever loneliness he may have felt.

"_Squall?_" Cloud was studying Leon thoughtfully, and the brunette realized with a start of embarrassment that he had spaced out on whatever Cloud had been asking him.

"What?"

"I asked you if you drove your car today. Are you feeling all right?" Cloud looked up at Leon curiously, but Leon turned away.

"I'm fine. And yes, I drove today."

"Great!" Cloud smiled, forgetting his worry over the other boy. "Wait for me by the front, will you? I have to go get a couple of things from my locker."

"Sure, you can ride with me." Leon responded sarcastically.

Cloud smirked. "It's not like you can turn _me_ down."

Leon rolled his eyes, and then watched as Cloud disappeared into the mob of students pressing for the exit. The stormy-eyed boy turned, making his way towards the front doors Cloud had asked him to wait by, when someone ran into him, almost knocking Leon to the ground.

"Oh, sorry, Squall!"

A pair of bright blue eyes met Leon's, and Leon found himself looking straight into the friendly face of Sora. Sora's friend, Riku, stood behind the younger boy, shaking his head and holding back a smirk.

"That's _Leon_." The senior reminded him.

"Oh, yeah!" Sora grinned, and Leon realized why everyone found it so difficult to stay mad at the boy. "Well, uh, me and Riku were just gonna…"

"Head out. We're already late…"

"For Riku's dentist appointment!"

Leon blinked, surprised at the way the boys continued each other's sentences. Some kind of strange telepathic link, he mused. After all, the two had been best friends since they were very small.

"Well, we have to go." Riku said, pulling Sora along with him.

"See ya, Squall!" Sora called.

"Leon, remember?" Riku chided.

"Oh, wait!" Sora cried. "You know Cloud, right?"

"Cloud?" Leon looked at Sora in surprise. What would a freshman want with Cloud?

"Cloud Strife. I thought you two hung out." Riku supplied, stepping up behind Sora once more.

"Yeah, I know him." Leon answered, studying the two.

"Well, you see I have this friend…" Sora began.

"Kairi asked us to get this to Cloud." Riku cut in. Sora handed Leon a pink envelope with Cloud's name written in bubbly script across the front. Leon blinked in surprise, then took the envelope, willing his face to remain expressionless.

"Well, um…"

"You'll make sure he gets it, right?"

"'Cause if you don't, Kairi'll have our hides. Heh, heh…"

"Well, we gotta be going…"

"See ya!"

The two rushed away, leaving Leon once more in amazement for their ability to juggle sentences. The brunette shook his head, and made his way to the doors once more. Feeling slightly embarrassed, he jammed the envelope into his pocket and leaned against the door, awaiting Cloud's arrival.

As it turned out, the wait was short. Cloud came into view, walking towards Leon while talking into his cellphone. A small smile graced the blond's features, and Leon wondered who Cloud could be talking to.

"Yeah, uh-huh. He's right here. No, no… I'm sure he will. Hang on."

Cloud handed his phone to Leon, his grinning widening devilishly. "It's Riona. She's awfully upset because someone accidentally blocked her number from calling your phone. I told her you would do your best to fix the problem."

Leon shot him a glare, reluctantly taking the phone. He'd met Riona back in elementary school, when they were forced to do a pageant for Parent's Night. He had thought that maybe it wouldn't be so bad, because he had been selected to be the knight. But then, the director informed him that he would have to rescue the princess from the dragon, and then bestow her with a "kiss of true love". And who got chosen to be the princess?

"Hey, Squall! Did Cloud tell you about that _totally_ weird thing with your phone? Isn't it the strangest thing? I mean, why would it keep me from calling you?"

"Riona…"

"So I was like, 'Leon must have let someone mess with it, or Cloud's pulling another prank on him or something.' You know, he really needs to get a girlfriend. That way he wouldn't be so jealous of us all the time. What about that Aerith chick that hangs out with him? I mean…"

Leon sighed. "_Riona…_"

"…They're always acting like they're going out, but I know they're not because I asked her the other day. You should say something, because I bet we could totally pull strings and hook them up. Then he would hang out with her, and you could spend more time with me, and not always have to go over there and help him study and stuff. I mean, gosh, he should at least let you have a life, you know?"

"Riona!" Leon cried, trying to get her attention.

"Huh?" The girl stopped her flow of chatter, and Leon sighed in relief.

"What do you want?"

"Oh! Well, you know there's that big thing that the school throws tonight for all the seniors and I figured, you know, I'd ask you if you wanted to go. But then your phone was being all weird so I had to call Cloud to get him to find you, and he said there was a math test tomorrow, but I thought, well, it's not like you have spend your whole life helping _him_, so I figured you'd love an excuse to escape, you know? So, I was like, 'Well, Squall'll probably take me out tonight, because, well, we _are_ like, practically steady now' and he said that was okay. He also said something weird about knights and princesses but I just kinda ignored him, because I know that he can say really weird stuff sometimes, you know?"

"Riona…" Leon sighed. He couldn't stand talking to her on the phone, partially because she could talk just about anything to death, and Leon could never get a word in edgewise. Riona could talk for hours without stopping.

"So, what time are you gonna come pick me up?"

Leon glanced over at Cloud, who was kneeling on the ground digging through his notebook for something. One on hand, he didn't really feel like listening to Riona whine like she would if he said no, but then again… would Cloud abandon him?

"Riona, I don't think…"

"SQUALL! C'mon! You spend all your time with him, and I haven't seen you in days! Cloud can take care of himself for _one_ test! You have to learn to stand up for yourself and tell him no once in awhile! What are you gonna do, follow him to college!"

"Riona! I…"

"Listen, Squall…"

"_Leon!_"

Cloud glanced up at the angry note in Leon's voice, but then shook his head and went back to flipping through his notebook. Experience had taught Cloud that Leon solves Leon's problems, and that the fastest way to get Leon ticked off was to interfere in his business.

"Leon, then!" Riona conceded. "All I know is that you need to spend some time with me! I mean, it's nice that you want to spend time with Cloud, make him feel accepted and stuff, but c'mon! This is a little extreme, don't you think!"

"All right!" Leon shouted, causing Cloud to glance up at him once more. "What time do you want me to pick you up?"

Cloud's shoulders jerked slightly, giving the appearance that he had just been struck. Leon felt a twinge of remorse, but it wasn't like Riona would let him cancel now…

"Squall, er… _Leon_!"

"Yeah… huh?"

Leon ripped his gaze away from Cloud's figure, and turned his attention back on Riona's babble.

"What time are you gonna pick me up?" Riona repeated cheerily.

"Uh… 8:00?" Leon guessed, his mind not really paying much attention. That slight twitch… he knew that would be the only emotion Cloud displayed about the matter. It had happened before, and Cloud would take only seconds before he recovered from shock, teasing Leon about his "princess" once more.

"Nah, let's go get something to eat first! I have _so_ much stuff to tell you! What about six or so?"

"Okay… yeah." Leon agreed flatly. "See ya then."

"Bye, honey!"

Leon groaned at the nickname, snapping the cellphone shut irritably. "You could have told her I was _busy_!" He accused Cloud.

"I _tried_, but she was already talking my ear off. So, the knight courts his fair princess once more, eh?"

Leon shot him a glare that could make hell freeze over, but it only sent Cloud into a fit of laughter.

"I'd hit you, Strife, but I don't want you to fail math because I knocked out all your brain cells." Leon threatened, tossing Cloud his cellphone.

"Awww… what a sweet sentiment, _Squall_! I'm touched, really!"

Leon sighed dramatically. What in the world possessed him to hang out with Strife, he wasn't quite sure.

"C'mon. We better cram 'til I have to go get Riona."

"Mmmm… and you seriously expect it to do any good?"

Cloud followed Leon to the car, slipping into the passenger seat, and propping his feet up on the dashboard. Leon slid in behind the steering wheel, giving Cloud and sharp glance as the blond began fiddling with the dials on the radio the second the car started.

"You are _not_ turning it to one of your stupid oldies stations." Leon informed him, but Cloud only cast him a wicked smirk, and proceeded to otherwise ignore him.

"Love is good, love can be strong!"

"All we are is dust in the wind…"

"Pay nineteen ninety-nine for this incredible deal and-"

"Ha, ha… you will never imagine-"

"Cloud!" Leon finally exploded. Strife huffed and settled back into the seat, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Spoilsport." He muttered. "I don't see how Riona keeps from dying of boredom around you."

"Wish she would." Leon murmured under his breath. "Look… about studying…"

Cloud waved him off, a smile playing with his lips. "Nah… I wouldn't expect the knight to deny his princess, now would I?"

"If I hear one more thing about that stupid play…"

The envelope pressed into Leon's side as he leaned over to cut the radio off, and he fished the pink atrocity out of his pocket, flicking it casually at Cloud.

"Leon! A love note? Really, I'm touched." Cloud snickered, and Leon shot him one of those "shut-up-or-face-my-wrath" glares that he was famous for.

"It's from Kairi."

"Kairi?" Cloud's eyebrows furrowed in thought, sky blue eyes studying the rather girly envelope. "Freshman, right? Used to hang out with Riku and Sora, until… heh, heh…"

"That's her. Does she know you?"

"I don't know her, if that's what you're getting at." Cloud responded. "Dunno what she'd write me a letter for…"

"You could always open it." Leon suggested dryly.

Cloud grinned, ripping the envelope open neatly. "Curiosity getting to you, Leon?"

"Hn."

Cloud pulled out a pale pink sheet of paper from the envelope, unfolded it, and began to read. Leon couldn't help but wonder what Kairi wanted with Cloud, but his pride kept his from asking about it.

Cloud's eyes filled with amusement, and a smile tugged at his lips. Then the blond got a serious case of the giggles, his hand running through his disheveled hair in a mixture of horror and hilarity that Leon couldn't help but try to sneak a look at the paper.

"Hey, hey!" Cloud exclaimed. "Gosh, Leon! If you want me to read it, just ask! Scare me to death, breathing in my ear like that!"

Leon turned sharply away, eyes snapping back to the road once more. "I wasn't trying to read it."

"Mmmm… sure. So I'm guessing you don't want to hear it?"

"Well…" Leon shrugged, trying his best to appear nonchalant. "I guess… just to see who would be sending _you_ a letter."

Cloud snorted. "Jeez, don't be so polite, Leon…"

Leon glanced over at Cloud, who was looking at the letter once more. _Why can't I just let him read it? Why do I have to be cold? Why can't I let anyone close...?_

"I'm… sorry." Leon muttered, but his eyes flickered over to Cloud. "I was…"

"Yeah, yeah. Don't have to explain, Leon." Cloud smiled softly at the brunette. "But thanks, anyway."

"Hn."

"Well… lemme see." Cloud cleared his throat.

_Dear Cloud,_

_My name's Kairi. I'm a freshman, and I know we haven't met, but… I love you._

Leon cast an incredulous look at the paper, as if daring it to have actually contained those words. A tight feeling rose up in his chest, and he was torn between the decision to tear the paper from Cloud's hands and rip it to tiny shreds or laugh at the sheer absurdity of the fact that an unknown girl was pledging love to Cloud before they had even met once.

_Your eyes are like shrines to the sky. A pure blue that I want to dive in, wash myself clean of all the people I had looked at before. I want to gaze into your eyes forever…or at least until I have to blink or something._

Cloud snickered at that. Leon shook his head and let a smile sneak onto his lips, but felt his fingers take a death grip on the steering wheel. '_What? I'm acting like some jealous little girl… get a hold of yourself, Leon!_'

_Cloud, my darling, your butt is like heaven. Your face is sculpted by the gods, a tribute to heavenly beauty that no mortal has ever possessed. Your skin looks so soft, and I want to run my fingers across it. I want to dance in the rain with you, I want to chase down the end of rainbows with you, and I want to be able to kiss you, to hold you close on a cold winter's night._

"Gosh, even I didn't realize I was that good!" Cloud exclaimed. "She's really serious, huh, Leon?"

'_I am not jealous. Not jealous. I have Riona. I don't like Cloud. Only as a friend. An annoying, spiky haired, beautiful friend. NO! Not beautiful! Notjealousnotjealous!_'

_I know you are probably concerned with the matter of the difference in our ages, but I tell you I would overcome anything for you! The same way a princess longs for her knight, the same way the moon begs the sun to spill its heavenly light across its bondage in darkness, so I love you! I may have thought I loved Riku, then Sora, then Tidus, then Wakka, then Zidane, and there was even that one time where I thought I was madly in love with that hot substitute teacher Ansem, but… I love you more then them. And, I know that you have been secretly pining after me! Dump Aerith! I want to share a papou with you, Cloud!_

Cloud was gasping for breath, laughter threatening to overtake his halting words.

'_Riona I like. Cloud I do not. Stupid freshman! Argh! Not jealous!_'

_Well, um, I guess I'll see you around. My cell phone is 743-8723, so you should totally give me a call, because your __voice is really sexy. Oh, and if Riku answers my phone, don't get all jealous, okay? He borrows it all the time because he's too lazy to pay for his own. I would never cheat on you, my love!_

_Your truest of true loves,_

_Kairi_

There was a brief silence in the car. Leon's fingernails were almost embedded in the leather steering wheel, and Cloud was gaping stupidly at the pale pink paper as though it had transformed right before his very eyes into some hideous beast.

Cloud burst out laughing, jerking his feet off the dashboard and thumping his head weakly against the window. Leon looked at him, feeling secretly relieved (while denying the fact that he was relieved staunchly) and refraining from joining Cloud in laughter.

"She… wants to… share… the papou!" Cloud gasped, eyes filling up with hysterical tears. "I've never… seen her!

"Desperate stalker." Leon mumbled.

"Aww… don't be jealous. I'm sure-"

"I AM NOT JEALOUS!" Leon roared, accidentally slamming his foot down on the gas as he did so.

"Whoa! Leon, LOOK OUT!" Cloud cried, eyes filled with panic as Leon blazed towards the intersection.

The brunette realized his mistake and slammed on the brakes just as a huge eighteen-wheeler raced across the road in front of them. Leon's grip on the steering wheel was enough to make dents in the leather, he was sure. One of Cloud's hands had grabbed onto Leon's shoulder, and Leon thought he could feel the other boy's pulse flickering wildly, even through the leather jacket.

They sat there, breathing erratic and hearts pounding until a car horn behind them alerted Leon to two things. One, the light was green. Two, they had almost died.

"Holy…" Cloud breathed, his hand not releasing its on Leon's shoulder.

Leon leaned back against the seat, feeling his heart still racing wildly. The driver behind them blared his horn insistently once more, and Leon woodenly pushed the gas pedal and moved forward.

"I… Sorry." Leon said softly, trying to calm himself down.

Cloud let out a long breath. "Didn't know you'd get that worked up."

"Neither did I." Leon admitted, creasing his brow in thought. Since when did he care _that_ much? Life was too confusing…

They made the rest of the drive in silence, Cloud either too stunned or frightened to let go of Leon's shoulder. Leon, much to his dismay, found that he didn't mind the contact at all.

'_What's happening to me?_' He wondered, stormy eyes flickering briefly over to Cloud. '_I…I can't…I am in deep trouble.'_

* * *

Wow! I'm really proud of this, and I hope this is a fair attempt for my first piece of fanfiction! Compliments? Criticism? You know where the review button is!

Ah, and don't worry, there is a plot. Hang in there, faithful reader, and I promise to deliver!

One more thing, I know Cloud was kind of OOC in this first chapter, but that's because his character will be developing later on. Plus, if we had two Leons, the relationship would get nowhere, you see?


	2. Chapter II

_Candles_

By: Brown Sage

**Disclaimer**: Kingdom Hearts and all its characters belong to Square and Disney, but the plot belongs to me! Yay, I own... something!

**Warnings**: Yaoi (boy/boy pairings) in later chapters. Don't like? Don't read!

**Pairings**: Leon/Cloud, Riku/Sora?

* * *

"And _then_," Rinoa continued, and Leon was tempted to either strangle her or groan and collapse upon the table. "I was all like, 'Nuh-uh, he didn't!' and she was all like, 'Yes, he did!' and I was all like, 'Whoa!' and she was all like, 'Yeah!' and I was all like, 'No way!' and she was all like, 'Yes way!'" 

"Breathe, Rinoa." Leon reminded her, more out of habit than actual concern.

"So, then we had to go see why Wakka had punched the living daylights out of _Sephiroth_ of all people, and he said it was because Sephiroth had looked at him funny. Well, that must be a guy thing, because if someone was looking at me funny, I would ask them what they were doing, and not _punch_ them, for heaven's sake! I mean…"

Leon tuned Rinoa out, a skill that he'd had plenty of time to practice on all of their past dates. Rinoa wasn't a bad person, and she could be kind of fun, except for the fact that sometimes she didn't know how to shut up and just enjoy the silence.

Leon could feel a migraine forming between his eyes, and he wondered why he hadn't just hung up on Rinoa when she had started whining. Knowing Rinoa, she'd just go and get someone else to go with her, and only pout around Leon for a few days to let him know she wasn't happy.

Leon bit back a small sigh. Maybe he could plead sick, and then Rinoa would have to let him go home. Tonight was _not_ a good night for this.

"Rinoa."

"So Sephiroth said that he could look at anybody anyway he pleased, and then Wakka said well then he could bloody anyone's nose that he pleased, and then Sephiroth said that he could break anyone's ribs that he pleased and then Wakka said that he could set anyone's locker on fire that he pleased and then Sephiroth said-"

"Ri-noa." Leon sighed, stretching her name into an impatient sing-song.

"That the school could kick anyone out that they pleased, and then Wakka called Sephiroth a lying, thieving, snake, and Sephiroth laughed at him because, well, that's how he _is_ and then Wakka tried to punch him, but Sephiroth just blocked it and walked away, and Wakka was screaming his head off and calling Sephiroth all _kinds_ of names, and…"

"Rinoa… I'm trying to talk to you…" Leon interjected, but Rinoa plunged heedlessly on.

"So then the school was all mad, because Wakka had punched Sephiroth _and_ set his locker on fire, which was actually kind of funny, but Sephiroth told them not to worry about it, so Wakka won't get kicked out of school, and I think it was Aerith or Cloud that told Sephiroth to back off, do you know?"

"No, I-" Leon began, but was cut off by Rinoa once more.

"Well, you could always ask Cloud, you know. I mean, he's the only person who can talk to Sephiroth, because Sephiroth is just so strange, you know? I mean, who wears leather in the middle of the summer, and has white hair down to their waist? Geez, he freaks me out, you know?"

Leon rested his face in one hand, giving up on an escape attempt altogether. At times like this, he wasn't sure if Rinoa was just ignoring him, or was purposely not answering because she knew Squall's intent.

Oh yes, Leon _really_ had a headache now.

"Then again, Cloud can be kinda freaky, too. I mean, he's got all that poetry memorized in his head, and he can say the weirdest stuff. Aerith's nice and all, but she can be _too_ nice, and it's obvious she likes Cloud, but she doesn't say anything to him, and that's weird enough because it would be so annoying to date Cloud. I mean, he never says _anything_ that makes sense. Argh, I don't know how you stand him!"

"Persistence, Rinoa, persistence." Came a familiar voice, and Cloud plopped down in the booth beside Leon, Sephiroth standing coolly at the end of the table.

Rinoa went pale, glancing from the impassionate Sephiroth to Cloud with a comical expression of disbelief. Leon would have laughed, but his head hurt intensely, and he wondered if Rinoa's comments had hurt Cloud.

"W-what… are you two… d-doing here?" Rinoa stammered, flashing a nervous smile to Cloud, then Sephiroth. Cloud ignored the gesture, and Sephiroth only stared at her, a slight smirk appearing on his lips.

"Don't worry, Rinoa. I just came to deliver a message to Leon, here, and then we're out of your hair. I don't want to ruin your evening with your knight."

Leon stifled a groan, and Sephiroth's smirk widened slightly before he leaned forward and placed a hand on Cloud's shoulder.

"I will wait for you outside." The silver-haired teen said calmly, and then nodded at Rinoa cordially. "As a matter of fact, Ms. Heartilly, I did not break Wakka's ribs, and he did not 'bloody' my nose. We had a disagreement, argued briefly, and then parted. Perhaps you should check your sources, no?"

Sephiroth walked calmly outside, leaving Rinoa gaping and trying to compose her wits.

"Well?" Leon asked Cloud, turning to face the blond.

"Ah, yeah." Cloud nodded, then leaned in to whisper quickly in Leon's ear. Despite himself, Leon felt a tingle of electricity at the way Cloud's breath broke over his ear. "Your parents called. They had to leave, and they'll be out of town for a week or two. They said to stay with us, but I've still got your house key at my house. You can stop by and get it later."

Cloud slid out of the booth, smiling cheerfully at the stunned Rinoa. "Have a good time, you two."

"Wait." Leon said, not even sure why he did so. "Where are you going?"

"Heh, well… I studied awhile, then Seph came over, and we studied for awhile, and then we decided to head out and take a break. Seph's a great teacher, but even he has problems getting me to understand math." Cloud smiled faintly, a small, self-mocking smirk that so often appeared when he discussed his eternal struggle with math. "Well, don't want to keep Seph waiting. See ya, Leon! See ya, Rinoa!"

With a small wave, Cloud was gone, bouncing stride so different from the flowing grace of Sephiroth. Leon rubbed his temples, trying to sooth away the migraine and being met with little success.

"How rude!" Rinoa exclaimed. "They eavesdropped on us!"

"Well, you were gossiping about them." Leon pointed out. "Technically, they had every right."

"SQUALL!" Rinoa cried.

"Leon." He sighed, feeling suddenly weary.

"I can't BELIEVE you're taking THEIR side over MINE!"

"Why not? Which side I take isn't based off the person, it's based off how correct they are. In this case, they were correct, and you were wrong."

"Well, I'm your _girlfriend_!" Rinoa protested.

Leon sighed, one hand rubbing at the back of his head absently. "Yeah, I know. Look, my head is killing me. I'll drop you off at the dance, or take you back home, or… wherever you want to go, but I'm just not feeling up to this."

As predicted, Rinoa went into maternal overdrive. "Oh! You poor, poor thing! Why didn't you tell me? I would have insisted that you go home and rest! Awww, my poor Squally, are you okay? Is it the flu?"

Leon lifted a hand. "Nah, just a headache. Listen, let's go, okay? I'm sorry."

"Oh, of course!" Rinoa practically dragged him out of the booth, cooing and patting his arm like he had just been diagnosed with a terminal illness.

Thirty minutes later, Leon was alone in the car, having just dropped Rinoa off by her house. He was making his way to Cloud's to get his house key, and then he had every intention of collapsing on his bed and sleeping.

"Gosh, why do I even go out with her?" Leon mused. Rinoa was nice enough, but even the stupidest of people could see that there was absolutely _no_ chemistry. Leon sighed, pulling into Cloud's driveway.

Sephiroth's car was parked in the driveway, and Leon parked beside it. He wasn't sure why, as he would be leaving shortly. It's not like Sephiroth would be blocked in, or anything…

He knocked on the door, the dull thumps echoing through his head like gongs. Cloud's mother came to the door, and her smile dimmed when she took in Leon's face.

"Leon! You look… well, dear, you look absolutely awful!"

"Thanks." Leon responded dryly. "Where's Cloud?"

"Ummm… upstairs with a friend, I believe. I'm going to make you some tea, all right? No, no, don't argue. You could use it."

"All right." Leon sighed. Strife's mother was stubborn, and he knew from experience that there was absolutely no point in arguing with her. "Thank you."

A soft smile that reminded Leon so much of Cloud was his reward, and the woman pressed a kiss to his cheek fondly. "Don't mention it. Now, if Cloud bothers you, tell me. I swear, that child can talk the blue from the sky…"

Leon grinned faintly, and headed upstairs. The door to Cloud's room was open, and it was quiet within. Leon looked inside, surprised to see Cloud bent over his textbook earnestly. Sephiroth was seated at the desk, scribbling in a notebook aimlessly, while Cloud was cross-legged on the bed.

Leon walked in the room, catching Cloud's attention.

"Hey! Where's Rinoa? Hope we didn't ruin your evening, or anything…" Cloud exclaimed, then looked at Leon's face anxiously. "Wow, Leon, you don't look so hot."

"So your mom says." Leon answered, sitting on the bed wearily. "Hello, Sephiroth."

The other teen nodded, and then stood up. "It's late. I am going to go home."

Cloud nodded. "Thanks for your help. I'll walk you out."

Leon had the vague notion that he should ask Cloud for the key and leave as well, but his brain refused to cooperate. Cloud and Sephiroth walked out of the room, and Leon collapsed back onto the bed.

"Leon? You still here?"

Leon cracked open an eye to see Cloud, holding a steaming cup of tea and grinning. "If you don't watch out, Mom'll start forcing medicine down your throat."

"'M not sick." Leon protested.

"Yeah, that's what you always say. Geez, just slow down for once, okay?"

Cloud sat back on the bed, handing the tea to Leon. "Drink this. I swear, it'll taste really good and makes you feel better. Old remedy."

Leon took the mug, sitting up reluctantly. The first sip burned his tongue, but the fluid seemed to curl around his headache, softening it away into nothingness.

Cloud smiled, nodding his head. "See? Better, am I right?"

Leon nodded, and let a small smile creep onto his lips as well. "Yeah. Your mom's a miracle-worker."

"Yeah, but it makes faking sick a pain, you know?"

Leon "hmph"ed into the tea, taking another cautious sip. Cloud picked up the book, and went back to reading. The sight made Leon smile again. Cloud was the only person he knew who would read their Literature textbook for fun.

"Bookworm." Leon accused teasingly.

"I've been called worse." Cloud retorted, not raising his eyes from the book.

"What are you reading, anyway?" Leon asked. The tea was making him increasingly drowsy, and he couldn't even find the strength to be alarmed. He should be getting home, but he found that the idea of an empty house was growing less and less appealing.

"It's an old Scottish ballad. _Bonny Barbara Allen_. Tragic, really."

"Read it."

Cloud looked up at him in surprise. "What? Leon, the tea's making you woozy."

"C'mon, you read stuff so well… please?" Okay, so maybe the tea _was_ knocking him for a loop. What did Mrs. Strife put in this stuff, anyway? Ugh, everything was so… fuzzy…

"Leon? _Leon_? Are you okay?"

"Read it?" Leon asked, the question coming out as nothing more than a soft sigh. "Please?"

"Well… all right, I guess. It's not really your style, but…"

"S'okay." Leon responded.

Cloud nodded, and began to read. Leon sighed contentedly, the tea, the old Scottish words, and the gentle sound of Cloud's voice, slightly accented to fit the old ballad lulling him off to sleep.

_It was in and about the Martinmas time,  
When the green leaves were a-falling,  
That Sir John Graeme, in the West country,  
Fell in love with Barbara Allen._

_He sent his men down through the town  
To the place where she was dwelling:  
"O haste and come to my master dear,  
Gin ye be Barbara Allen."_

Leon gazed at Cloud reflectively. Maybe it was stupid, but he was perfectly willing just to spend the rest of his life right here. The blonde didn't seem to notice Leon's gaze, his voice continuing its soothing rhythm.

_O hooly, hooly rose she up,  
To the place where he was lying,  
And when she drew the curtain by'  
"Young man, I think you're dying."_

_"O it's I'm sick, and very, very sick,  
And it's a' for Barbara Allen;"  
"O the better for me you shall never be,  
Though your heart's blood were a spilling."_

Leon drained the last bit of the tea, and then lay back on the bed, yawning so hard his jaw popped. Yep, he could spend the rest of his life lying at the foot of Cloud's bed and be perfectly happy. Maybe he would…

_"O dinna ye mind, young man," she said,  
"When the red wine ye were filling,  
That ye made the healths gae round and round,  
And slighted Barbara Allen?"_

_He turned his face unto the wall,  
And death was with him dealing;  
"Adieu, adieu, my dear friends all,  
And be kind to Barbara Allen."_

"Hey… Leon." There was a nudge at his ribs, and Leon let out a slight grunt. "Leon… are you gonna sleep here?"

"Mmmm-hmmmm…" Leon mumbled, slightly embarrassed that the only thing he had to offer Cloud was incoherence.

"Guess you are, then." Cloud muttered, but didn't sound particularly upset. "G'night, Leon."

"M gonna move in a sec…" Leon protested, but the rest of him was humming in quiet contentment, limbs made of stone.

"Nah," Cloud interrupted himself by yawning. "Don't worry about it. You can stay."

"Mmmm… kay…" Leon agreed. Consciousness was slipping away from him, and he made one last attempt at coherence. "Morning… don't forget… Cloud?"

"What?" Cloud asked, but Leon was already sound asleep. Cloud picked up the cup, sniffing at the contents suspiciously. "Morphine? Gosh, does she want to knock him out for two days?"

The blonde shook his head, setting the innocent-looking mug down on his bedside table. He pulled the blankets down on the bed so that they covered Leon, and then grabbed an old down comforter from his closet. Without bothering to change, Cloud flicked off the lights and curled up on the fat green bean-bag that dominated one corner of his room.

"You are one weird dude on morphine…" Cloud remarked to the sleeping Leon, then pulled the blanket up around his shoulders and started to doze off.

"RIIIINNNNGGGG!"

"What the…" Cloud mumbled, groping for his phone. If it was Rinoa, he was absolutely going to kill Leon.

"Hello?" He asked, rubbing his eyes.

"CLOUD!"

"Rinoa?"

"No, silly! It's _me_!"

"Oh."

"Yeah!"

"Me who?"

There was an indiscernible shriek from the other end of and Cloud jerked the phone away from his ear. Nope, definitely not Rinoa.

"What? What? I can't… I CAN'T UNDERSTAND YOU!" Cloud cried. Leon didn't even twitch, just snored happily on. Well, maybe not _happily_, as that wouldn't be very Leon-ish.

"KAIRI, you silly bum!"

"Oh. Um, hey."

"Hey! I missed your voice so much I decided to call!"

Cloud frowned. "How'd you get my number?"

"Well, I called Rinoa and told her that we were going out, and she said that she had stolen Leon's phone bank, and that she had your number in case Leon's phone ever blocked her."

"Uh-huh."

"So… I called you. Did you get my note?"

"Yup, sure did."

"Well, okay. I'm free on Friday!" Kairi chirped. "Which is… tomorrow! You don't have plans, do you?"

"Well, actually…"

"GREAT!" Kairi squealed. "See? We're perfect for each other!"

"Wait, Kairi, I-" Cloud protested.

"Oh, honey! Don't worry about _anything_, love! I'll plan for everything! Can you pick me up tomorrow at my house about eight?"

"Kairi…" Cloud's mind scrambled for an excuse. "I'm, um, busy."

"Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow." Cloud agreed.

"Doing what?" Kairi persisted.

"Uhhh…" Cloud glanced over to Leon, making sure the brunette was still sound asleep. "Actually, Leon has a… doctor's appointment."

"So?"

"I promised I'd take him."

"Let him take himself, the lazy bum." Kairi answered.

"Well… he can't go by himself." Cloud responded.

"What? Snookums, I'm sure he'll understand, just this once…"

"No, no, no. He needs… emotional support."

"Wow. For one doctor's appointment?"

"Mmmm… yes. He needs lots and lots of support. He's very… unsupported."

Leon snorted, and Cloud jumped about ten feet into the air. He threw a worried glance in Leon's direction, but the brunette remained a softly snoring lump at the foot of the bed.

"Oh." Kairi sighed. "Well… I'll come with you!"

"What? No, no! That's… not a good idea!"

"Why not, lovey-dovey?"

Cloud could feel his eye twitch. No was no, okay? "There's not enough room in his car."

"Drive yours." Kairi argued.

"Mine is… bad."

"Bad?"

"Tired, I mean. My car is… very tired. And… so am I!"

"Babe, why didn't you just say _so_?" Kairi squeaked. "Look, I'll see you at school, okay? Maybe we can sit together at lunch!"

"Right, uh, maybe. Anyway… see ya."

"Bye, Cloudy-poo!"

With an exasperated sigh, Cloud snapped the phone shut, and tossed it down on the floor. He yawned again, snuggling up into a contented ball, before falling soundly asleep.

* * *

Heh, a little more of Kairi's persistence for you. 

The credit for the words to _Bonny Barbara Allen _go to my Literature book.And yes, I read it for fun. So sue me... or rather, don't... I have no money.

Before I get bombarded by any Rinoa and Kairi fans, no I don't have anything against them. I thought they both fell into the damsel-in-distress category, but they both had inner strengths. Truthfully, I just thought they would be good characters, and the idea of a Cloud/Kairi pairing amused me greatly.

Well, it disturbed me… but you have to admit, it would be kind of odd.

Okay, okay enough with my strange sense of humor. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and look for a bit of Riku and Sora in the next chapter, as well as more Leon and Cloud! Yay!


End file.
